Knoll Furniture: Modern Design for Home and Office

Knoll creates modern furniture for residential, workplace, hospitality, and public interiors. Its collection brings together some of the most influential designs of the modern movement with contemporary seating, tables, desks, storage, and workplace systems developed for the way people live and work today.

Founded in 1938, Knoll has built an extraordinary design legacy through close collaboration with leading architects and designers. Pieces such as the Barcelona Chair, Womb Chair, Saarinen Dining Table, Tulip Chair, Bertoia Diamond Chair, and Florence Knoll Sofa remain benchmarks of modern furniture design.

A Legacy of Modern Design Since 1938

Hans Knoll founded the H.G. Knoll Furniture Company in New York in 1938 with the goal of bringing European modernist furniture to an American audience. His background in a German furniture-making family gave him a foundation in manufacturing and an understanding of the emerging modern movement.

Florence Schust joined the company in the 1940s. Trained in architecture and connected to many of the most important creative figures associated with Cranbrook Academy of Art and the Bauhaus, Florence brought a rigorous approach to interiors, space planning, and furniture.

Hans and Florence married in 1946 and built Knoll into a company where architecture, furniture, textiles, graphics, and manufacturing were treated as interconnected parts of a complete environment.

Florence Knoll and the Knoll Planning Unit

Florence Knoll transformed the way modern offices were planned and furnished. Through the Knoll Planning Unit, she approached the workplace as an architectural problem rather than simply filling rooms with desks and chairs.

The team studied how people moved, communicated, met, and performed their work. Furniture, lighting, textiles, storage, and spatial organization were coordinated to support those activities.

Florence used scaled models, material boards, and carefully developed furniture plans to communicate complete interiors to clients. This multidisciplinary approach helped establish professional standards that continue to influence workplace and interior design.

Bauhaus Ideas in American Modernism

Knoll’s identity was shaped by the Bauhaus belief that art, industry, architecture, and everyday life could be brought together through thoughtful design. Furniture should be functional and appropriate for production, but it should also contribute to a more coherent and beautiful environment.

Hans Knoll brought these European ideas to America, while Florence connected them with the experimental culture of Cranbrook and a growing demand for modern corporate interiors.

The resulting collection included work by architects and designers whose furniture expressed the structure, materials, and technologies of its time. These designs remain relevant because their clarity extends beyond fashion.

The Knoll Barcelona Chair

Designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe with Lilly Reich for the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition, the Barcelona Chair is one of the most recognized pieces of modern furniture.

Its polished metal frame creates a continuous sculptural curve, while individually cut and upholstered leather panels form the seat and back cushions. The chair balances formal presence with visual lightness.

In 1948, Mies granted Knoll exclusive rights to manufacture his furniture, including the Barcelona Collection, Brno Chair, and MR Series. Knoll continues to produce these designs according to carefully controlled specifications.

Mies van der Rohe Furniture

The Knoll collection includes several designs by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe that embody his architectural principle of disciplined simplicity. Their refined proportions and clear expression of structure make them suitable for both classic and contemporary interiors.

The Barcelona Collection offers seating and tables with a formal, luxurious character. The Brno Chair uses a cantilevered frame to create a clean profile around conference and dining tables. The MR Collection explores the fluid possibilities of tubular steel.

These pieces demonstrate how advanced materials and manufacturing can produce furniture of lasting elegance.

The Eero Saarinen Womb Chair

Florence Knoll asked Eero Saarinen to design a chair that offered a new level of relaxed comfort. Introduced in 1948, the Womb Chair used molded construction to create a broad, enveloping shell that supported multiple sitting positions.

Its organic form represented a departure from the more rigid lounge furniture of the period. The chair invites the user to sit upright, turn sideways, or curl into the seat.

Paired with its ottoman, the Womb Chair creates a comfortable destination for reading and relaxation. Its sculptural silhouette remains distinctive in living rooms, bedrooms, private offices, libraries, and hospitality settings.

Saarinen Tulip Chairs and Tables

Eero Saarinen designed the Pedestal Collection to eliminate what he described as the disorder created by numerous furniture legs beneath tables and chairs. Introduced in 1958, the collection replaces conventional legs with a single, graceful base.

Tulip Chairs and stools use molded seats supported by sculptural pedestal bases. Coordinating dining and occasional tables pair the same visual idea with round or oval tops.

The result is a clear and unified composition suited to kitchens, dining rooms, breakfast areas, meeting spaces, and restaurants. The collection’s simplicity allows it to work with both historic modernist interiors and contemporary architecture.

Saarinen Dining and Occasional Tables

Saarinen tables are available in different heights, diameters, and top shapes for dining, meeting, coffee, and side-table applications. Round tables support intimate conversation, while oval versions accommodate larger gatherings without introducing corners.

Tabletops may be specified in marble, stone, wood veneer, laminate, and other finishes depending on the model. Each material changes the character of the sculptural base.

A light-colored top creates a seamless, architectural expression, while highly figured stone can turn the table into a dramatic centerpiece.

Harry Bertoia Seating

Sculptor Harry Bertoia transformed industrial wire rods into a celebrated collection of seating for Knoll. Introduced in the early 1950s, the Bertoia chairs explore the relationship between transparency, structure, and the human body.

The Diamond Chair uses a welded steel grid to create a curved seat that feels visually light despite its generous dimensions. Side chairs, barstools, benches, and other variations extend the same material language across different functions.

Seat pads and full covers can add softness and color while preserving the recognizable wire structure. Selected versions and finishes are appropriate for outdoor use.

Marcel Breuer and Tubular Steel

Marcel Breuer was a student and later a master at the Bauhaus. His furniture expressed the school’s ambition to reconcile art, craft, and industrial production.

Breuer’s tubular-steel designs use material with exceptional economy. Cantilevered structures support the body while creating a sense of lightness and continuous movement.

Knoll’s Breuer collection includes influential seating and tables appropriate for dining rooms, offices, lounges, and hospitality interiors. Their geometric clarity makes them natural companions to modern architecture.

Florence Knoll Sofas and Lounge Furniture

Florence Knoll designed furniture to meet the practical needs of the interiors developed by the Planning Unit. Although she modestly described her pieces as supporting elements within the broader Knoll collection, their proportions and refinement have made them modern classics.

The Florence Knoll Sofa and Lounge Chair use a disciplined architectural grid softened by precisely tailored upholstery. Slim metal bases lift the seating visually from the floor.

These pieces are particularly effective in living rooms, executive offices, reception areas, and hospitality settings where comfort must coexist with clarity and structure.

Knoll Sofas and Lounge Chairs

Beyond its historic icons, Knoll offers contemporary sofas, lounge chairs, benches, ottomans, and modular seating. The collection ranges from tailored architectural forms to softer, more relaxed designs.

Upholstery options include performance textiles, natural fibers, leather, and a broad spectrum of color and texture. Different base finishes and configurations make it possible to tailor the furniture to residential or contract requirements.

Whether specified as an individual statement piece or a complete seating group, Knoll lounge furniture reflects a continuing commitment to comfort, material quality, and lasting design.

Knoll Dining Chairs

Knoll dining chairs include molded, upholstered, tubular-steel, wire, wood, and pedestal designs. This variety allows the collection to support traditional dining rooms, modern kitchens, restaurants, conference rooms, and flexible gathering spaces.

Historic pieces can be combined with contemporary tables, while newer seating can complement established icons. The collection’s consistent emphasis on proportion and material integrity helps different designs coexist naturally.

Upholstery, shell colors, frames, and base options provide opportunities to coordinate the chair with the larger interior.

Knoll Tables

Knoll tables range from iconic Saarinen pedestal designs to contemporary dining, conference, coffee, side, and occasional tables. Their forms are developed in close relationship to function, materials, seating, and architectural space.

Stone and marble tops create a sense of permanence and natural variation. Glass emphasizes transparency, while wood adds warmth and tactile richness. Metal bases provide structural clarity and precise detailing.

The breadth of the collection allows Knoll tables to serve as quiet supporting elements or prominent sculptural focal points.

Modern Furniture for the Home

Knoll furniture can create complete residential environments while preserving an open, collected character. A Barcelona Chair may serve as a formal focal point, while a Womb Chair establishes a softer place to relax.

Saarinen tables support dining and everyday gathering, and Florence Knoll seating brings architectural order to living spaces. Bertoia and Breuer designs introduce visual lightness through exposed structure.

Because many Knoll designs have remained in production for decades, they can move between homes and adapt to changing interiors without losing their relevance.

Knoll Office Furniture

Knoll’s workplace collection builds upon Florence Knoll’s belief that office design should support people, organizational culture, and architectural space. The range includes task seating, desks, tables, storage, lounge furniture, collaborative systems, and workplace accessories.

Private offices can combine executive desks with refined seating and storage. Open workplaces may use flexible planning systems that support both individual focus and team collaboration.

Meeting rooms, reception areas, project spaces, cafés, and informal lounges can be furnished within the same broader design language.

Ergonomic Task Seating

Knoll task chairs are designed to provide ergonomic support while maintaining a refined appearance. Adjustable features help accommodate different bodies, postures, and working styles throughout the day.

Seat height, recline, arm position, lumbar support, and other adjustments vary by model. Breathable mesh, upholstered surfaces, and carefully developed mechanisms balance comfort with workplace durability.

A properly selected and adjusted chair supports movement rather than forcing the user into one fixed position.

Conference and Meeting Spaces

Conference rooms express an organization’s identity while supporting communication and decision-making. Knoll conference tables and seating provide solutions for formal boardrooms, meeting rooms, project areas, and hybrid collaboration.

Table dimensions, shape, power integration, cable management, technology, and sightlines should be considered together. Seating should provide comfort without making the room feel crowded.

Historic modern chairs can bring character to a boardroom, while contemporary seating may offer additional ergonomic or mobility features.

Outdoor Knoll Furniture

Selected Knoll designs are available in materials and finishes suitable for outdoor environments. The outdoor collection includes seating, dining furniture, tables, and modern classics adapted for terraces, patios, courtyards, and hospitality settings.

Bertoia’s open wire forms work naturally in the landscape, while other designs bring modern architectural clarity to exterior spaces.

Product-specific finish, exposure, care, and storage requirements should be reviewed before furniture is specified for outdoor use.

Knoll Textiles and Upholstery

Textiles have been integral to Knoll since Florence Knoll established the KnollTextiles division. Color, texture, performance, and material innovation remain essential to the way Knoll furniture is specified.

The textile collection supports upholstery, panel systems, wall applications, and other architectural uses. Options range from subtle neutrals and natural textures to bold patterns and saturated color.

The upholstery selected for a chair or sofa can significantly change its character, allowing an iconic form to respond to a particular interior and level of use.

Authentic Modern Design

Authentic Knoll furniture is produced under authorized agreements and according to carefully maintained design specifications. Proportions, materials, manufacturing methods, and finishing details preserve the integrity of the original work.

This authenticity is especially important for modern classics, where small changes to frame geometry, upholstery, or dimensions can alter both appearance and comfort.

Knoll marks and documentation help distinguish licensed production from unauthorized reproductions, protecting the designer’s intent and the long-term value of the piece.

Furniture for Residential and Contract Projects

Knoll products are used in homes, offices, hotels, restaurants, universities, cultural institutions, healthcare facilities, and other public environments. The collection accommodates both individual furniture purchases and large-scale project specifications.

Residential clients benefit from the longevity and versatility of modern classics. Architects and designers can coordinate furniture, textiles, workplace systems, and finishes across complex commercial interiors.

Performance requirements, lead times, dimensions, upholstery, power integration, and installation should be reviewed early for project orders.

Modern Design That Endures

Knoll’s most important designs have remained relevant because they address fundamental questions of structure, comfort, material, and space. They were not created to follow a temporary style.

Newer Knoll products continue this approach, responding to changing patterns of work and living while maintaining a commitment to design integrity.

A well-selected Knoll piece can serve for decades, move between environments, and coexist with furniture from many periods. This longevity is one of the clearest expressions of responsible design.

Discover Knoll at Scott + Cooner

Explore Knoll furniture at Scott + Cooner and experience icons of modern design alongside contemporary solutions for home and workplace.

Our experienced team works with homeowners, architects, interior designers, and workplace professionals to select Knoll lounge chairs, sofas, dining chairs, tables, desks, office seating, outdoor furniture, and textiles. We can assist with product selection, dimensions, finishes, upholstery, ergonomic features, and project specifications.

Contact Scott + Cooner or visit one of our showrooms to discover authentic Knoll furniture designed to connect people with the spaces where they live and work.